Royal Hearts (17 page)

“It’s her legacy. She’s an expert when it
comes to making this.”

The door opened, and Lisa and Carson came
into the entryway, which was just in sight of where Ann and Hathor
were sitting. “Oh, hi,” Lisa said. “I didn’t realize it was so
late. I was going to be here sooner, but we ended up sampling the
ice cream at the zoo. They have new exotic flavors.”

“My favorite was the kiwi-banana supreme
sundae,” Carson added and nodded to Hathor. “I’m Carson.”

“I’m Hathor.”

“You look familiar,” Carson said.

“It was at the mall,” Hathor replied.

He snapped his fingers. “Right. You’re the
guy I accidently bumped into.”

“It’s a small world,” Lisa said. “So, what
are you two up to?” she asked Ann and Hathor.

“We came by to pick up that book I lent you,”
Ann replied.

“Okay. I’ll get it.”

After Lisa left, Carson sat in a chair. “I
see you’re fortunate enough to drink some of her mother’s famous
lemonade. It’s the best stuff I ever tasted. In fact, it’s the only
reason I’m still with Lisa.”

Ann laughed at his joke. “Are you sure it has
nothing to do with her fancy car?”

“The rust stains do attract stares from
strangers. It’s a great way to meet people.”

“Carson is a natural comedian,” she told
Hathor.

“Life is too short to be taken seriously,” he
said. “I think taking time to laugh helps take the edge off the
tough times.”

“Well said,” Hathor replied.

“So you go to college?”

“I told Lisa about you,” Ann said, glancing
at Hathor.

“Yes,” Hathor told Carson.

“What do you think of it?” Carson asked.

“It’s a nice school. There are a lot of good
people there.”

“Here’s your book,” Lisa told Ann as soon as
she entered the room.

Ann took it from her. “Thanks. Was it any
good?”

“It starts off slow but then picks up by page
fifty.” Lisa sat in the chair next to Carson then looked at Hathor.
“So, I was wondering, what is the difference between high school
boys and college boys? Are college ones really more mature or is
that just a myth?”

“Ahem,” Carson interrupted.

“Oh, I know we’re going out,” Lisa said.
“It’s just that next year you’ll be in college, and I want to know
what to expect. Like, will you suddenly be responsible or will you
still think spinning out on the ice is fun?”

Ann chuckled. “You can’t take them seriously
when they’re together, Hathor.”

“I don’t know if there’s any real
difference,” Hathor said. “From what I’ve observed, a human’s
maturity level has very little to do with his age.”

A human’s maturity level? At times, Hathor
seemed to fit right in, but then at others, Ann had the feeling the
place he came from was a whole lot different than she expected.

The doorbell rang, and Lisa groaned. “Just
when the topic got good.” She walked over to the door and opened
it. “Oh…uh…” She glanced at Ann, a slight panic in her eyes.

Ann leaned forward to see who was at the door
and saw William. Did Lisa’s mother expect him to come over? Was
that why she asked about him when she answered the door? But, more
importantly, what was the statistical possibility a comet might hit
them at this very moment and save Ann the awkwardness of having to
explain things to William?

“I told him not to come,” Carson muttered
under his breath, but his voice wasn’t so low Ann didn’t hear
him.

Ann glanced at Carson. His comment could be
taken several ways, but she couldn’t ask what he meant since
William was heading right for them.

“I saw Carson was here and figured I’d stop
by,” William said. “Hey there, Ann. I didn’t expect you to be
here.”

“Hi, William,” she managed, an awkward smile
plastered right on her face. She probably looked like an idiot, but
she didn’t know what else to do.

“I’m sorry,” William told Lisa. “I didn’t
know you had company.”

“This is Hathor. He’s the guy I ran into at
the mall the other day,” Carson said.

“Oh, right. I didn’t recognize you,” William
told Hathor.

Ann shifted in her seat, noting an unsettling
feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why was William pretending he
didn’t know Hathor?

“Ann knows we already met,” Hathor dryly
commented, not at all shy about making eye contact with
William.

William’s face grew bright red. “Yes well, I
just didn’t want to make things weird for everyone, just in
case.”

It’s a little late for that, Ann thought.
“Well, we just stopped by to get my book,” she finally said,
breaking the tense silence. “We should get going,” she told
Hathor.

Hathor seemed to be relieved to get out of
there, and she didn’t blame him. “It was nice meeting you, Lisa and
Carson,” Hathor said. “It was interesting to see you again,
William.”

“Hathor.” William nodded, barely looking at
him.

“Bye,” she said with a quick wave.

As she and Hathor left, she overheard William
say, “I forgot you said not to come, Carson. I just wanted to ask
you about a school assignment.”

Ann shook her head. She doubted he’d
forgotten. If he was going to pretend he didn’t know Hathor, then
what else was he lying about?

***

Present day

Entrance to the Underworld

Planet: Olympia

Persephone waited for her servant to finish
loading up her many suitcases onto the black chariot. Meanwhile,
she kept checking her reflection in her pocket-sized mirror. The
two black horses impatiently waited for their order to take her to
her home for the next seven months.

Second Commander Jaz and Guard Lino sat on a
couple of large rocks by the entrance of the Underworld, which was
carved into the side of Mount Olympus. As eager as Jaz was to find
Guard Falon, she forced herself to remain quiet. She had learned
the Olympians could not be rushed. They did things in their own
time.

“Your things are ready,” the servant told
Persephone.

“Thank you, Celestia,” she replied as she put
her mirror away. Her expression was one of sheer exhilaration.
“Notify Hades of my early arrival.”

“He will be pleased.” The servant bowed and
left to do her bidding.

She let out an excited cheer then motioned
for the Palers to get into the chariot. “Are you ready?”

Jaz and Lino jumped up and hurried to join
Persephone on the chariot. When the driver arrived, Jaz braced
herself for the fast ride down the inside of the mountain, but the
ride was surprisingly smooth and seemed to be over as soon as it
began. They arrived at a river, which wound its way through several
dark tunnels.

An old man waited for them by a boat, his
long black robe hiding everything but his face. “It’s good to have
you back, Persephone. Hades is unbearable when you’re gone.”

“It’s only because he misses me,” she
replied. “But I’m here now, and everything will be right with the
Underworld.” She turned to the Palers. “Don’t speak to Hades until
he speaks to you. He gets a little upset if you do.”

The old man snorted. “A little?”

“That’s not fair,” she said, glancing his
way. “Hades is misunderstood. He’s not the ogre others say he
is.”

The old man rolled his eyes but didn’t
comment.

Persephone turned back to Jaz and Lino.
“He’ll be more likely to listen to you if you follow the rules of
the Underworld. Do not talk to him until he talks to you. I will do
my part to sway him to say yes to letting your friend go.”

Jaz sighed. It was another obstacle to go
through before they could get to the matter of finding Queen
Ann.

The four got into the boat once the suitcases
were all loaded in. Then the old man steered it down the River
Styx.

“Did Hades really miss me?” Persephone
asked.

“Terribly,” the old man replied. “He’s been
moping the whole time, like he always does when you’re gone. He
doesn’t seem to want to live until you arrive. In fact, as soon as
he heard you were coming, he set up an elaborate feast in your
honor.”

She clasped her hands to her heart and
smiled. “It’s wonderful to be loved so.”

“We all look forward to when you come here.
You are the only ray of sunshine in this place.”

She didn’t hide her pleasure at his comment,
but it took all of Jaz’s willpower to hide her frustrations. Would
this journey ever end?

They continued their journey in silence until
they came to a black palace.

“It’s just as I remember it,” Persephone
said. “Except for my gardens. Oh, they are so barren. I shall get
to work on those tomorrow.”

The old man pulled his boat into the dock and
helped his passengers out. “May you fare better than the Paler who
came through here earlier,” he told Jaz and Lino.

“You mean Guard Falon,” Jaz said. “What
happened to him?”

“Hades did not take kindly to the fact that
Guard Falon broke two of Cerebus’ jaws, even though it was apparent
Guard Falon was protecting himself. He sent Guard Falon to the
third level of torment where he will experience constant thirst
with a broken jaw.”

“For defending himself?” Jaz felt the heat
rise in her face at the injustice paid to one of her best
guards.

“Hades is not a reasonable god.”

“I will talk to him,” Persephone said. “He
must not have known that Guard Falon was on a mission to save Queen
Ann.”

The old man gasped. “Queen Ann is in
danger?”

Persephone nodded. “That is why I am here
earlier than usual. I came to talk Hades into letting Zeus sort
through the Sands of Time. He will listen to me.”

“Guard Falon should have said something,” the
old man said. “If Hades had known he was here to save the queen of
Raz, he never would have condemned him to punishment. Hades will be
greatly distressed when he hears the reason for Guard Falon’s
visit.”

Jaz didn’t understand how Queen Ann could
have such a profound impact on everyone on this planet, but she was
glad she did.

Persephone led Jaz and Lino through the gate
and past the garden. Before she reached the door, a servant opened
it, bowed to her, and placed a royal black robe over her shoulders
and an onyx crown on her head.

“Welcome to your home, Queen Persephone,” he
said. “It is a pleasure to have you back. Once again, laughter will
fill this place.”

“Thank you, Kinruf,” she replied.

As soon as she entered the palace, Hades ran
over to embrace her. He whispered something in her ear that made
her giggle. He kissed her, and he probably would have kissed her
longer except she ended it.

“Not now, my love,” she said. “We have
guests.”

His eyes narrowed at Jaz and Lino. “I don’t
want to see anyone until I have a chance to properly welcome my
queen home.”

“But this is an urgent matter.” She frowned
prettily at him. “You wouldn’t deny me my request, would you?”

His hard expression softened. “I could never
refuse you anything.”

“That is why I love you so much.” She took
his hand and led him over to the Palers. “Queen Ann is in trouble,
and she needs our help. These Palers brought news of the queen’s
distress to us, and they have a friend who ended up here by
accident. He’s the one who injured poor Cerebus.”

Hades’ jaw dropped, and his face went white.
“I had no idea.” He turned to Jaz and Lino. “Please, accept my
apologies. Kinruf, I need you to bring that Paler back and readjust
his jaw so that it’s no longer broken. I will find a way to
compensate him later for my hasty action.”

“You are wonderful, my king,” Persephone told
Hades, snuggling up against his side.

He kissed her cheek.

Jaz glanced at Lino and shrugged. It appeared
that their presence wasn’t necessary after all. What would they
have had to do if they weren’t there for Queen Ann’s sake? She
shivered at the thought. They probably wouldn’t make it out of
here. The Underworld was more of a prison than she’d thought.

“I have another request,” Persephone told
Hades.

“I’ll give you anything you want,” Hades
replied.

“Zeus and the other Mount Olympian gods had a
meeting and determined that Queen Ann must be trapped somewhere in
another time. There is only one way they can know where she has
gone.”

His eyes lit up with understanding. “The
Sands of Time.”

“Would you mind taking it to them?”

“Only if you come with me. As much as I
pledge my loyalty to the queen of Raz, I cannot bear to be apart
from you any longer.”

“I had planned to go with you. It is as hard
for me to be away from you as it is for you to be away from
me.”

His fingers brushed her cheek.

The tender motion made Jaz uncomfortable, so
she looked away.

“We will go to Zeus right away,” Hades
finally said. His attention shifted to the Palers. “Will you be
joining us, or will you return to Pale?”

Jaz took that as her cue to talk to him. “We
are a part of the search party to find Queen Ann, so we would like
to join you and Persephone.”

He nodded. “Done. Your friend should be back
soon. I will reimburse him for his troubles.”

Good. They were finally going to find Ann and
bring her back. It was about time, too. Jaz hated to think of what
Ann must be enduring at the hands of Omin’s clone. She only hoped
they weren’t too late to save her.

Chapter Sixteen

Six years in the past

Dayton, Ohio

Planet: Earth

Hathor had never seen a movie before, but he
was pleasantly surprised. He remembered her talking about going to
the movies with her friends when she was on Earth, but he never
understood what she meant until now.

Even though the movie was interesting, he
couldn’t get William out of his mind. He suspected that William had
planned to see Ann at Lisa’s. Maybe William didn’t realize he would
be there, too.